List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon

River flowing through gorge with wooded sides. On the right hand bank is a road

A view of the Avon Gorge, designated as an SSSI for both its biological and its geological interest

This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the former county of Avon, England, United Kingdom. In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features. Although the county of Avon no longer exists, Natural England still uses its former borders to mark one of its Areas of Search. As of 2006, there are 86 sites designated in this Area of Search, of which 38 have been designated due to their biological interest, 39 due to their geological interest, and 9 for both.

Natural England took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature in October 2006 when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and the Rural Development Service. The English counties were revised under the 1974 reorganisation of local government. Until the 2010s, Natural England, which maintains the database of English SSSIs, kept the listing of counties as it was in 1974, but by 2015 they had updated their lists to reflect some later changes. However, even though Avon was abolished in 1996 it is still used as an area of search by Natural England, rather than being divided between the Gloucestershire and Somerset lists.

The data in the table is taken from English Nature in the form of citation sheets for each SSSI.

For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

Sites

Site name	Reason for designation		Area[A]		Grid reference[B]	Year in which notified	Map[C]
	Biological interest	Geological interest	Hectares	Acres
Ashton Court	Green tickY		210.3	519.7		1998	Template:Nature on the map
Aust Cliff		Green tickY	5.3	13.1		1954	Template:Nature on the map
Avon Gorge	Green tickY	Green tickY	155.4	384.0		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Banwell Caves	Green tickY	Green tickY	1.7	4.2		1963	Template:Nature on the map
Banwell Ochre Caves		Green tickY	12.5	30.8		1983	Template:Nature on the map
Barnhill Quarry		Green tickY	3.1	7.7		1966	Template:Nature on the map
Barns Batch Spinney		Green tickY	0.1	0.2		1987	Template:Nature on the map
Bickley Wood		Green tickY	9.5	23.5		1988	Template:Nature on the map
Biddle Street, Yatton	Green tickY		44.8	110.7		1994	Template:Nature on the map
Bishop's Hill Wood	Green tickY		30.6	75.6		1984	Template:Nature on the map
Blagdon Lake	Green tickY		212.7	525.6		1971	Template:Nature on the map
Bleadon Hill		Green tickY	13.5	33.4		1999	Template:Nature on the map
Bodkin Hazel Wood	Green tickY		10.6	26.2		1974	Template:Nature on the map
Bourne		Green tickY	8.5	20.9		1992	Template:Nature on the map
Bowlditch Quarry		Green tickY	0.3	0.6		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Brinkmarsh Quarry		Green tickY	0.5	1.2		1974	Template:Nature on the map
Brockley Hall Stables	Green tickY		0.1	0.2		1987	Template:Nature on the map
Brown's Folly	Green tickY	Green tickY	39.9	98.5		1974	Template:Nature on the map
Buckover Road Cutting		Green tickY	1.7	4.1		1967	Template:Nature on the map
Burledge Sidelands and Meadows	Green tickY		48.7	120.3		2005	Template:Nature on the map
Burrington Combe	Green tickY	Green tickY	139.1	343.8		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Cattybrook Brickpit		Green tickY	2.2	5.5		1989	Template:Nature on the map
Chew Valley Lake	Green tickY		565.2	1,396.6		1971	Template:Nature on the map
Cleaves Wood	Green tickY		40.4	99.8		1988	Template:Nature on the map
Cleeve Wood, Hanham	Green tickY		8.9	21.9		1966	Template:Nature on the map
Clevedon Shore		Green tickY	0.4	0.9		1991	Template:Nature on the map
Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines	Green tickY		6.2	15.4		1991	Template:Nature on the map
Compton Martin Ochre Mine	Green tickY	Green tickY	0.9	2.1		1988	Template:Nature on the map
Congrove Field and The Tumps	Green tickY		12.5	30.8		1991	Template:Nature on the map
Court Hill		Green tickY	10.5	25.8		1997	Template:Nature on the map
Cullimore's Quarry		Green tickY	0.9	2.2		1974	Template:Nature on the map
Damery Road Section		Green tickY	0.5	1.0		1974	Template:Nature on the map
Dolebury Warren	Green tickY		90.6	223.3		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Dundry Main Road South Quarry		Green tickY	0.7	1.8		1974	Template:Nature on the map
Ellenborough Park West	Green tickY		1.8	4.4		1989	Template:Nature on the map
Folly Farm	Green tickY		3.1	7.7		1987	Template:Nature on the map
Goblin Combe	Green tickY		51.9	128.2		1999	Template:Nature on the map
Gordano Valley	Green tickY	Green tickY	161.7	399.5		1971	Template:Nature on the map
Ham Green		Green tickY	1.1	2.7		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Hampton Rocks Cutting		Green tickY	1.3	3.2		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Harptree Combe	Green tickY		13.1	32.3		1954	Template:Nature on the map
Hartcliff Rocks Quarry		Green tickY	1.6	3.9		1991	Template:Nature on the map
Hawkesbury Meadow	Green tickY		3.3	8.2		1987	Template:Nature on the map
Hawkesbury Quarry		Green tickY	0.3	0.6		1967	Template:Nature on the map
Hinton Charterhouse Field	Green tickY		0.3	0.8		1991	Template:Nature on the map
Hinton Charterhouse Pit		Green tickY	0.4	1.0		1971	Template:Nature on the map
Hinton Hill, Wellow		Green tickY	0.3	0.6		1996	Template:Nature on the map
Holly Lane		Green tickY	0.5	1.2		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Horseshoe Bend, Shirehampton	Green tickY		4.5	11.0		1999	Template:Nature on the map
Huish Colliery Quarry		Green tickY	0.8	2.1		1985	Template:Nature on the map
Iford Manor	Green tickY		0.4	1.0		1996	Template:Nature on the map
Kenn Church, Kenn Pier & Yew Tree Farm		Green tickY	15.4	38.0		1997	Template:Nature on the map
Kilmersdon Road Quarry		Green tickY	0.4	1.1		1954	Template:Nature on the map
King's Wood and Urchin Wood	Green tickY		128.1	316.5		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Long Dole Wood and Meadows[F]	Green tickY		9.8	24.3		1997	Template:Nature on the map
Lower Woods	Green tickY	Green tickY	280.1	692.2		1966	Template:Nature on the map
Lulsgate Quarry		Green tickY	1.1	2.8		1997	Template:Nature on the map
Max Bog	Green tickY		10.6	26.2		1988	Template:Nature on the map
Middle Hope	Green tickY	Green tickY	84.1	207.8		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Midger	Green tickY		65.7	162.3		1966	Template:Nature on the map
Monkswood Valley	Green tickY		30.7	75.9		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Newton St. Loe		Green tickY	2.3	5.6		1992	Template:Nature on the map
Nightingale Valley		Green tickY	5.4	13.3		1989	Template:Nature on the map
North Road Quarry, Bath		Green tickY	0.3	0.7		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Plaster's Green Meadows	Green tickY		4.3	10.6		1989	Template:Nature on the map
Portishead Pier to Black Nore		Green tickY	71.8	177.4		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Purn Hill	Green tickY		6.1	15.1		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Puxton Moor	Green tickY		31.1	76.8		1994	Template:Nature on the map
Quarry Steps, Durdham Down [D]		Green tickY	<0.1	<0.1		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Severn Estuary [E]	Green tickY	Green tickY	15,950.0	39,410.0		1976	Template:Nature on the map
Shiplate Slait	Green tickY		33.9	83.8		1987	Template:Nature on the map
Slickstones Quarry, Cromhall		Green tickY	2.7	6.6		1966	Template:Nature on the map
Spring Cove Cliffs		Green tickY	2.0	4.9		1952	Template:Nature on the map
St. Catherine's Valley	Green tickY		156.1	385.7		1997	Template:Nature on the map
Steep Holm	Green tickY		25.5	63.0		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Stidham Farm		Green tickY	17.3	42.8		1991	Template:Nature on the map
Tickenham, Nailsea and Kenn Moors	Green tickY		129.4	319.7		1995	Template:Nature on the map
Tytherington Quarry		Green tickY	0.9	2.2		1989	Template:Nature on the map
Uphill Cliff	Green tickY		19.8	48.9		1952	Template:Nature on the map
Upton Coombe	Green tickY		7.4	18.3		1989	Template:Nature on the map
Walton Common	Green tickY		25.5	63.0		1991	Template:Nature on the map
Weston Big Wood	Green tickY		37.5	92.6		1971	Template:Nature on the map
Weston-in-Gordano		Green tickY	12.6	31.0		1993	Template:Nature on the map
Winterbourne Railway Cutting		Green tickY	2.0	4.9		1990	Template:Nature on the map
Writhlington		Green tickY	0.5	1.2		1992	Template:Nature on the map
Yanal Bog	Green tickY		1.6	4.0		1988	Template:Nature on the map

Notes

^A Data rounded to one decimal place.

^B Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.

^C Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by Natural England.

^D Size smaller than can be shown with one decimal place. Actual size: 0.006 (ha.) 0.015 (ac.).

^E Incorporates two former SSSIs: Severn Estuary (notified 1976) and part of Brean Down and Uphill Cliff (notified 1952). It was unified as Severn Estuary in 1989. It also overlaps with several other SSSIs:

• Avon: Spring Cove Cliffs, Middle Hope, Portishead Pier to Black Nore and Aust Cliff.
• Gloucestershire: Purton Passage
• Somerset: Brean Down
• South Glamorgan: Penarth Coast

The Severn Estuary extends into two other counties and so can be found on lists of SSSIs in Gloucestershire and Somerset.

^F The Long Dole Wood and Meadows site extends into the county of Somerset and so can be found on the list of SSSIs in Somerset.